Environmentalists call out double standards between farmers and wind farms 

Central Queensland’s first wind power farm has now installed over 30 wind turbines, but one environmental group said they see a “double standard” between wind farms and their neighbours.

Squadron Energy’s Clarke Creek Wind Farm is located between Mackay and Rockhampton, along the Broadsound range. Acting general manager of delivery at Squadron Energy, Dan Banovic, said in a statement they have between 350-400 contractors on site working daily.

“We recently celebrated the successful installation of our 33rd wind turbine in Stage One of the project and we’re looking forward to reaching our halfway milestone before the end of the year,” Mr Banovic said. “We are on track to reach construction completion by the second quarter of next year.”

The Clarke Creek Wind Farm is set to produce energy [equal to the average use of] 330,000 homes when it’s online. But Rainforest Reserves volunteer Steven Nowakowski said those climate benefits don’t outweigh the impacts on the local environment and biodiversity.

“It’s the fragmentation of refugia areas, and it’s those areas we need to protect in a climate change future,” Mr Nowakowski said.

A fact sheet on Squadron Energy’s website states they follow an approved environmental plan, which includes exclusion and buffer zones around identified habitats, and where necessary, will relocate fauna on site.

“Management plans have been developed and implemented to cover all key environmental risks including protection of animals, vegetation, and prevention of soil erosion,” Mr Banovic said in a statement.

But the rules and regulations farmers abide by differ to wind farms, as wind farms go through State Code 23 for Wind Farm Development, rather than the Vegetation Management Act.

“Things like the reef regulations primary producers need to abide by, wind farm developers are exempt from that,” Mr Nowakowski said. “They don’t need to put in the same sediment and erosion controls as for example a primary producer would if they’re building a dam on their property.” “What we want to see is wind farm developers having to abide by the same rules and regulations and laws as everybody else, such as primary producers and mining companies.”

Mr Nowakowski doesn’t believe the current process is strict enough to protect the environment and biodiversity from construction. “This state approval process, it’s a fast-track process, these wind farms are going straight through the state government and they’re approving them really quickly.”

A spokesperson for Squadron Energy disputes Mr Nowakowski’s concerns, saying it’s “misleading” to say using State Code 23 precludes wind farms from “assessing the impact of vegetation clearance.”

“Any vegetation clearance proposed to be undertaken is assessed in accordance with State and Commonwealth requirements, and strict limits placed in Conditions of Approval at both levels,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Agforce is calling on the state government to release reforms to the Wind Farm Code, after a review of the code last year saw close to 200 stakeholder submissions.

Mr Nowakowski said the Clarke Creek area is particularly vulnerable, as it’s home to endangered species such as koalas and greater gliders. “As a part of climate action, we need to protect biodiversity and refugia areas,” he said. “[Wind farm construction] is the fragmentation of some really good, high elevation forests that have really been untouched by urbanisation and industrialisation or high value agriculture.”

“It’s those areas that are harbouring the best examples of our wildlife outside of protected areas.”